HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION BBB

 

September 27, 2012, Introduced by Rep. Shirkey and referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

 

     A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the state

 

constitution of 1963, by amending section 12 of article IV and by

 

adding section 55 to article IV, to provide that the state officers

 

compensation commission's determination of certain salaries shall

 

not exceed the increase in the consumer price index or the average

 

increase in state employee pay and to reduce compensation of state

 

legislators who are absent from legislative session or if the

 

legislature does not present certain budget bills to the governor

 

on or before a certain date and to set state-paid health care

 

benefits for legislators.

 

     Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

 


state of Michigan, That the following amendment to the state

 

constitution of 1963, to provide that the state officers

 

compensation commission's determination of certain salaries shall

 

not exceed the increase in the consumer price index or the average

 

increase in state employee pay and to reduce compensation of state

 

legislators who are absent from legislative session or if the

 

legislature does not present certain budget bills to the governor

 

on or before a certain date and to set state-paid health care

 

benefits for legislators, is proposed, agreed to, and submitted to

 

the people of the state:

 

ARTICLE IV

 

     Sec. 12. The state officers compensation commission is created

 

which subject to this section shall determine the salaries and

 

expense allowances of the members of the legislature, the governor,

 

the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, the secretary of

 

state, and the justices of the supreme court. The commission shall

 

consist of 7 members appointed by the governor whose qualifications

 

may be determined by law. Subject to the legislature's ability to

 

amend the commission's determinations as provided in this section,

 

the commission shall determine the salaries and expense allowances

 

of the members of the legislature, the governor, the lieutenant

 

governor, the attorney general, the secretary of state, and the

 

justices of the supreme court which determinations shall be the

 

salaries and expense allowances only if the legislature by

 

concurrent resolution adopted by a majority of the members elected

 

to and serving in each house of the legislature approve them. The

 

state officers compensation commission shall not make a salary

 


determination for members of the legislature that exceeds the

 

salary existing on the date of that determination by more than the

 

average pay rate increase for other employees of this state or the

 

change in the consumer price index for the United States as most

 

recently reported by the United States department of labor, bureau

 

of labor statistics, whichever is lower. The senate and house of

 

representatives shall alternate on which house of the legislature

 

shall originate the concurrent resolution, with the senate

 

originating the first concurrent resolution.

 

     The concurrent resolution may amend the salary and expense

 

determinations of the state officers compensation commission to

 

reduce the salary and expense determinations by the same proportion

 

for members of the legislature, the governor, the lieutenant

 

governor, the attorney general, the secretary of state, and the

 

justices of the supreme court. The legislature shall not amend the

 

salary and expense determinations to reduce them to below the

 

salary and expense level that members of the legislature, the

 

governor, the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, the

 

secretary of state, and the justices of the supreme court receive

 

on the date the salary and expense determinations are made. If the

 

salary and expense determinations are approved or amended as

 

provided in this section, the salary and expense determinations

 

shall become effective for the legislative session immediately

 

following the next general election. The commission shall meet each

 

2 years for no more than 15 session days. This state shall not pay

 

more than 80% of the costs of any health coverage it provides to a

 

member of the legislature during the member's term of office. An

 


individual who first became a member of the legislature after 2010

 

shall not receive any state-paid retirement health care benefits

 

based on his or her legislative service. For individuals who first

 

became a member of the legislature in 2010 or earlier, the portion

 

of the health insurance coverage premium paid by this state shall

 

not exceed 80% of the entire premium for health insurance coverage

 

for that individual. The legislature shall implement this section

 

by law.

 

     Sec. 55. (1) For any day a house of the legislature is in

 

session and a legislator who is a member of that house does not

 

physically attend at least a portion of the session day where votes

 

are taken, that legislator's salary shall be reduced on a pro rata

 

basis unless the legislator is absent because of a serious illness

 

of the legislator, a serious illness of a member of the

 

legislator's family, the birth of the legislator's child, or the

 

death or funeral of a family member.

 

     (2) If a house of the legislature has not passed all bills

 

necessary to provide a balanced budget for the succeeding fiscal

 

period by the date as provided by law for school district budgets

 

to be adopted, the salary of each member of that house shall be

 

reduced on a pro rata basis until all the bills necessary for a

 

balanced budget have been passed by that house.

 

     (3) The portion of a salary reduced under this section shall

 

be transferred to the general fund.

 

     Resolved further, That the foregoing amendment shall be

 

submitted to the people of the state at the next general or

 

statewide special election that takes place after January 1, 2013

 


in the manner provided by law.